‘The most celebrated Royal photographer of her day' – photographs by Queen Alexandra, wife of Edward VII, go on display at Buckingham Palace

Photographs taken by Queen Alexandra, dubbed “the most celebrated royal photographer of her day”, are going on display at Buckingham Palace.

Born in 1844, Alexandra Caroline Marie Charlotte Louise Julia was chosen at the age of 16 to be the future wife of Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, and the son and heir apparent of Queen Victoria, the future King Edward VII. They were married in 1863.

Photography was still in its early days, prior to World War One, when Alexandra, then Princess of Wales, began to document the life of the then royal family. According to the curator of the upcoming exhibition, Katheryn Jones, she may have been the first member of the royal family to “fully embrace” the medium – a hobby continued in today’s royal family by Catherine, the current Princess of Wales.

Royal Collection Trust (RCT) said: “With Queen Victoria still in mourning and out of the public eye, this fashionable young couple became the public face of the monarchy, ushering in a glamorous new era for the royal family.

“They established their own vibrant court and were fashion trendsetters, and their lives were a whirlwind of opulent balls and society events,” adding, “She took to photography wholeheartedly and loved taking photographs of her family, her pets and her travels.

“She also absolutely surrounded herself with photos of friends and family in her private apartments, with every inch of every surface absolutely covered in family photographs.” In 1908, Alexandra published Queen Alexandra's Christmas Gift Book which featured photographs she had taken of the royal family at various periods with the purpose of raising money for different charities.

During her third pregnancy in 1867, Alexandra suffered a serious bout of rheumatic fever, and “her right knee was permanently damaged and she became significantly less mobile,” said the RTC.

As a result she began to look for hobbies she could manage with her injury. She was given a Kodak No. 1 in 1889, which the RTC described as “the first simple handheld camera for amateur photographers” which made “photography accessible to the masses” and produced circular “bulls-eye” snapshots.

Alexandra is also said to have commissioned the first method of printing photographs onto a porcelain tea set in the UK, a now iconic royal family coronation and jubilee souvenir.

Her work will be displayed at the King’s Gallery, Buckingham Palace, from April 11 to November 23 2025 as part of the Edwardians: Age Of Elegance exhibition.

Jones said: “Alexandra is perhaps not one of the best-known royal figures today, but she leaves a wonderful legacy of her own insights into the life that she lived as a member of the royal family.

“In this period, photography really takes on the role of capturing family life, it’s something very familiar to us today and Alexandra is perhaps the first member of the royal family to fully embrace that.”

Her daughter Princess Victoria was also a keen photographer and an image that she took of Alexandra and her Kodak No. 1 will be exhibited, alongside an image of four current and future kings showing Edward VII, his son who would become George V, and his grandsons, the future Edward VIII and George VI.

Take a look at our guides to the best professional cameras, the best cameras for beginners, or go back to basics with the best film cameras, and the best film for 35mm cameras.